In a step for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate for flat panel display, a liquid process using a liquid is sometimes performed to a substrate for processing the substrate.
A substrate is sometimes processed in the following manner (JP2007-35866A). Namely, a substrate is supported with a front surface (patterned surface) of the substrate facing upward, and a process liquid is supplied to the front surface. The process liquid flowing down from the substrate is received in a process-liquid storage tray. The process liquid is stored in the process-liquid storage tray at a height where a rear surface of the substrate is in contact with the process liquid or more. Then, the substrate is liquid-processed with the process liquid.
In addition, a substrate is sometimes liquid-processed in the following manner (JP2002-75943A). Namely, a process liquid is supplied to a space between an opposed member, which is disposed opposite to a lower surface of a substrate, and the lower surface of the substrate to form a liquid layer, and the substrate is liquid-processed by giving ultrasonic vibrations to the substrate through the liquid layer.
In a step of liquid-processing a substrate, a surface of the substrate is sometimes cleaned by a process liquid, rinsed, and then dried.
In the substrate processing apparatus of JP2007-35866A, a surface of a substrate can be cleaned by a cleaning liquid as a process liquid. However, when the surface is rinsed after the cleaning process, a step of replacing the cleaning liquid with a rinse liquid is needed. Further, in order to dry the surface, a step of draining the supplied rinse liquid is needed. As to the substrate processing apparatus of JP2002-75943A, although a substrate can be unloaded therefrom, and the substrate is rinsed by another substrate processing apparatus, it may take time for unloading the substrate. Such an increase in number of steps and processing time raises a manufacturing cost. Thus, in order to decrease the number of steps (processing time) starting from a substrate liquid process to a cleaning and drying process, there is desired a single processing unit capable of performing both a process in which a substrate is immersed into a liquid layer (process by DIP) and a liquid-membrane process in which a liquid is supplied to a rotating substrate and is then spun off.